One of the many wonderful things that retirement has gifted to me is the time to pursue the creative things that feed my soul. It has also reinforced my belief that learning can continue through any stage of life.

When I’m not power walking I’ll often spend hours with my smart phone macro lens, taking a closer look at everyday things, and marvelling at the details that are seldom seen with the naked eye.

After I’ve taken a few macro shots, I spend time in various editing apps, trying to find the best crop and making minor adjustments. With almost every edit, I’m researching and learning what to do next time when taking the photo, to get a better shot out of the gate.

Photography also piques my curiosity and the desire to learn new things or re-learn things I knew years ago but have forgotten. An example is that photos such as this one, looking closely at the centre of a lily, have taken me back to elementary school science where we learned the parts of a flower.

The macro shots I take of flowers have led me to learning more about the great American artist, Georgia O’Keefe, who painted many close-ups of flowers.

Retirement and photography are perfect partners for me. I don’t aspire to become a professional photographer. That said, I do want to keep learning and improving as a hobby photographer.

“If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment”

Georgia O’Keefe